Department for Transport

South Western Railway

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with South Western Railway prior to the launch of the company’s public consultation on plans to reduce its services; whether they requested that South Western Railways reduce its operating costs in any such discussions; and what assessment they have made of the impact of the proposed reduction of services on (1) encouraging civil servants to return to working in their offices, and (2) the environment.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department has worked with South Western Railway and Network Rail on the proposals in the consultation document. I await a report from South Western Railway and Network Rail on the outcomes of this consultation.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy: Housing

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the energy efficiency of homesthrough retrofitting.

Lord Callanan: The Government remains committed to its manifesto pledge to invest £9.2 billion in the energy efficiency of homes, schools, and hospitals, helping to decarbonising buildings to keep us on track to reach net zero emissions by 2050.The Government allocated £500 million funding to support the energy efficiency upgrades of homes of low-income households across England through the Phase 1 and 2 of the Local Authority Delivery Scheme. The Government announced a further £200m to a third phase of this scheme which will be delivered alongside an initial £150m of the Homes Upgrade Grant Scheme from early 2022 to March 2023.The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) will upgrade a significant amount of the social housing stock. We announced up to £160m funding for the 2021/22 financial year, delivering up to January 2023.In addition, the Energy Company Obligation has already installed 3.3 million measures in 2.3 million homes, and we are increasing the amount energy suppliers invest in energy efficiency measures for low-income households, recently consulted on a successor scheme ECO until 2026, and boosting its value from £640 million to £1 billion a year. This will help an extra 305,000 families with green measures such as insulation, with average energy bill savings of around £300 a year.

Department of Health and Social Care

Liothyronine

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will conduct a review of (1) the actions of NHS England, and (2) the impact on patients with thyroid conditions, following the Competition and Markets Authority’s ruling and fine issued to Advanz for artificially inflating the price of thyroid tablets.

Lord Kamall: We have no plans to do so. NHS England and NHS Improvement’s guidance Items which should not routinely be prescribed in primary care: Guidance for CCGs identifies items which are clinically effective but where more cost-effective products are available. This includes liothyronine and other products that have been subject to excessive price inflation.The guidance states that there are three categories for such items which are as follows:- Products of low clinical effectiveness, where there is a lack of robust evidence of clinical effectiveness or there are significant safety concerns;- Products which are clinically effective but where more cost-effective products are available, including some products that have been subject to excessive price inflation; and- Products which are clinically effective but due to the nature of the product are deemed a low priority for National Health Service funding. Liothyronine was included in the second category. Additionally, it was noted that there was limited evidence to support its routine prescribing in preference to levothyroxine. A copy of this guidance is attached. NHS England and NHS Improvement will review the guidance on a regular basis to ensure that any updated evidence on clinical and cost effectiveness is considered.Items which should not routinely be prescribed in  (pdf, 585.2KB)

Coronavirus: Drugs

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether new antivirals specially designed to tackle COVID-19 will be available from pharmacies in England.

Lord Kamall: On 20 October 2021 the Department announced that we have secured 730,000 patient courses of two COVID-19 oral antiviral treatments for patients in the United Kingdom. However, these are awaiting the appropriate authorisation from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and are not yet available for patients to access.The Antivirals Taskforce is working with NHS England and NHS Improvement, the UK Health Security Agency and the devolved administrations to deploy these antivirals should they receive appropriate authorisation. Further details will be announced in due course.

NHS: Badges

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to discuss with NHS England their support for the NHS Rainbow Badge Project, further to the latter's use of the term Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist (TERF) on a recent social media post;and whether NHS England's contracts with the NHS Rainbow Project cover the use ofoffensive terms.

Lord Kamall: NHS England commissions the LGBT Foundation to deliver the NHS Rainbow Badge project which is intended to help lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people to seek care from the National Health Service with confidence. The social media account is not run on behalf of NHS England and does not represent its views.The post was deleted and those with access to the account reminded of the standards which are expected.

Rare Diseases: Health Services

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to allocate more financial resources for the implementation of the 2013 UK Strategy for Rare Diseases.

Lord Kamall: The Government published a new United Kingdom Rare Diseases Framework in January 2021, which replaces the 2013 UK Strategy for Rare Diseases. The Government is committed to ensuring that the Framework is a success and each of the four UK nations will publish action plans to implement the Framework within two years of its publication.

Liothyronine

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps NHS Clinical Commissioners took to communicate national guidance for the prescribing of liothyronine to local NHS bodies; and whether that guidance says that liothyronine may only be prescribed when recommended by a specialist after treatment using levothyroxine has failed.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether liothyronine should be declassified as a high-cost medicine following the Competition and Markets Authority ruling and fine issued to Advanz for artificially inflating the price of thyroid tablets.

Lord Kamall: National Health Service clinical commissioners have promoted national guidance through their bulletins with clinical commissioning groups members. National guidance recommends that in circumstances where levothyroxine has failed, endocrinologists providing NHS services may recommend liothyronine for individual patients after a carefully audited trial of liothyronine for at least three months duration.We have made no assessment on whether liothyronine should be de-classified as a high cost medicine. To date, NHS England NHS Improvement have not conducted any specific assessments on liothyronine following the Competition and Markets Authority ruling. This will be considered as part of any formal review to national guidance.

Department for Education

Special Educational Needs: Reviews

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to accelerate, and (2)to publish, the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Review.

Baroness Barran: The department is determined to improve the outcomes for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).The government is working at pace and extensively with a range of partners, including children and young people with SEND, the Children’s Commissioner, parents and carers, system leaders, SEND sector organisations, and many other representatives from education, health and care to ensure the department gets this right.The department is committed to concluding the review and will publish proposals for full public consultation in the coming months.

Home Education

Lord Soley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Berridge on 28 April (HL14943), what steps they are taking to create a registerof children being home-schooled in England.

Baroness Barran: The department remains committed to a form of local authority register for children not in school. We will set out further details on this in the government response to the ‘Children Not In School’ consultation, which we intend to publish before the end of the year.

Adult Education: Publicity

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to launch a national awareness campaign regarding access to adult education courses.

Baroness Barran: In January 2022, the department plans to launch a new campaign to help people access the skills they need to get the job they want, whatever their stage in life. The campaign will aim to raise awareness and boost understanding of skills offers among adults, whether they are looking to change career, want to find a more rewarding job or are just starting out.At the centre of the campaign will be a new digital landing page to help people compare the skills offers available to them and choose the one that best suits their lifestyle, helping to simplify a complex market and support decision making.Ahead of the campaign launch, no-cost communications through government and stakeholder channels will continue to promote the opportunities available. From April to the end of September 2021, this activity has delivered almost 2.5 million impressions and 29,000 engagements on social media. It has also contributed to more than 326,000 views of the ‘Free courses for jobs’ gov.uk page which has generated almost 300,000 onward clicks, including to provider websites, indicating an audience intent to find out more.

Skills Bootcamps

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many young people have completed the Skills Bootcamps; and what has been the drop-out rate.

Baroness Barran: Skills Bootcamps offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving adults aged 19 and over the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer.The first Skills Bootcamps (wave 1) launched in Autumn 2020 with £8 million funding in six areas of England: West Midlands, Greater Manchester with Lancashire, Liverpool City Region, Leeds City Region, Heart of the Southwest Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) area, and Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire LEP area. The department is now expanding the Skills Bootcamps across the country during the 2021-22 financial year, with £43 million from the National Skills Fund.Thousands of adults have already accessed Skills Bootcamps, and case studies of some Skills Bootcamps participants can be accessed through the link available on the Free Courses for Jobs page on gov.uk. We expect that there will be approximately 16,000 Skills Bootcamps places available across the country in this financial year.Robust data collection on outcomes for wave 1 Skills Bootcamps has been ongoing from March to September 2021. This data is currently being validated and will be published shortly. It will provide more insight into the outcomes for learners that took part in wave 1 of Skills Bootcamps.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Tigray: Humanitarian Aid

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to secure the passage of humanitarian aid and food into Tigray; and what estimate they have made of the number of people now facing famine.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: On 16 October, the Minister for Africa announced an additional £29 million of humanitarian aid to people affected by the catastrophic conflict in northern Ethiopia. She has called on all parties in Ethiopia to urgently agree a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid through and for the Ethiopian Government to lift the de facto blockade of humanitarian relief into the Tigray region. Part of this additional funding aims to improve the logistical capability of the UN to deliver aid into Tigray. We continue to push both sides of the conflict to prioritise the wellbeing of people in need in northern Ethiopia and allow the flow of badly needed humanitarian assistance.This conflict has caused a humanitarian catastrophe, with the UN estimating that 5.5 million people face acute food insecurity. Over 400,000 people in Tigray are experiencing famine-like conditions. The UK's Special Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs, Nick Dyer had visited Ethiopia in September where he concluded that the humanitarian situation has significantly deteriorated and the risk of famine is high. In Amhara he saw the World Food Programme (WFP) in action and reiterated the need for WFP and other partners to have access to all areas so they can provide vital humanitarian aid.

Tigray: Armed Conflict

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of the bombing of civilian areas of the Tigrayan city of Mekelle; and what steps they are taking to hold the perpetrators of war crimes to account.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: On 20 October, the Minister for Africa publicly stated that we are deeply concerned by reports of escalating fighting and airstrikes in northern Ethiopia. Civilians must be protected and the violence must stop. The UK is supporting the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to ensure that their joint investigation into atrocities in Tigray, with the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, is independent, transparent and impartial and holds the parties to this conflict directly responsible for their actions. It will issue its report on 1 November. The Foreign Secretary, the Minister for Africa and our Ambassador in Addis Ababa continue to raise human rights issues in their discussions with the Ethiopian Government and more broadly we have reminded all warring parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law.

Ministry of Defence

Reserve Forces: Reviews

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to respond to the Reserve Forces 2030 Review.

Baroness Goldie: The Reserve Forces 2030 Review was published on 12 May 2021. The Ministry of Defence is currently working to fully understand the implications of the review's 18 recommendations and their coherence with wider Defence work, before reaching decisions on the way forward. A formal response can be expected very early in 2022.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Afghan interpreters were evacuated during Operation Pitting.

Baroness Goldie: From the beginning of the scheme in April 2021 until the final flight of Operation Pitting on 28 August 2021, around 650 Afghans were relocated to the UK under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) under category 2 of ARAP.Around 400 of these were relocated prior to Operation Pitting, as they were identified to be most at risk and were therefore prioritised for relocation. The remaining 250 were relocated during Operation Pitting. This category predominantly consisted of interpreters, but also others in similarly exposed roles such as cultural advisers.

Department for Work and Pensions

Teachers: Mesothelioma

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many deaths caused by mesothelioma were recorded for (1) teachers, and (2) teaching support staff, in England in each year between 2017 and 2020.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The number of mesothelioma deaths occurring in England in each of the years 2017, 2018 and 2019 (the latest year for which figures are available) where the last occupation of the deceased was recorded as a teacher or member of teaching support staff is shown in the table below.The figures include only deaths occurring at ages below 75 years, those ages for which occupation is reliably recorded on death certificates in England. These deaths will be largely due to past asbestos exposures which occurred before the tightening of controls.  201720182019Teachers241813Teaching Support Staff420 Note: “Teachers” includes all deaths where the last occupation was given as Standard Occupational Classification 2010 minor group code 231: Teaching and Educational Professionals; “Teaching support staff” includes those with unit group codes 6125: Teaching assistants, and 6126: Educational support assistants.

Home Office

Sixth Form Colleges: Overseas Students

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to issue guidance to ensure that independent sixth-form colleges that lose their Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies accreditation are re-inspected without delay.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The requirement for Student sponsors, including independent sixth-form colleges which hold a sponsor license, to maintain Educational Oversight (EO) is a core principle of the sponsorship system for the Student and Child Student routes. This requirement ensures the quality of education offered to international students is of sufficiently high standard.Institutions which do not meet the required rating following an inspection by the relevant Educational Oversight body will lose the ability to assign Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) to prospective students.To facilitate sponsors regaining the ability to sponsor new students as soon as they have rectified the issues which led to them losing EO, a sponsor can regain EO following a partial reinspection, or monitoring review, which confirms those issues have been resolved satisfactorily rather than having to wait for a full reinspection. Sponsors which regain Educational Oversight will have the ability to assign CAS reinstated.The Home Office does not set inspection schedules for independent EO bodies, beyond requiring those for private providers must take place at least once every 4 years.

Treasury

Taxation

Lord McKenzie of Luton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to change the tax year end to 31 March each year.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Government has no plans to change the tax year end to 31 March each year. On 15 September 2021, the Office for Tax Simplification (OTS) published a report exploring a change to the date of the tax year end. The report found that, although there would be simplification benefits of moving the tax year, the transitional costs to Government and the private sector would be significant. The OTS does not consider that such a change should take place in the immediate future.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Social Media

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to force social media platforms to stop amplifying hateful content via their algorithms.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Under the new Online Safety Bill, companies will need to mitigate the risks of harm associated with their algorithms, for example by preventing them from recommending particular types of content, or by giving users additional control over the content with which they interact.Major platforms will have to publish annual transparency reports, setting out what they are doing to tackle online harms, including information about algorithms.Ofcom will have further powers available to help it assess whether companies are fulfilling their duties, including in relation to algorithms. This will include powers to require information from companies, to require an expert report on a platform, and to access premises, data and equipment.

Alcoholic Drinks: Marketing

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential benefits of restricting alcohol marketing to reduce alcohol-related harm.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The government is committed to working with industry to address concerns over any irresponsible promotions, advertising, and marketing relating to alcohol, particularly to ensure that children and young people are suitably protected from harm.Material in the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) Codes relating to the advertising and marketing of alcohol products is exceptionally robust, recognising the social imperative of ensuring that alcohol advertising is responsible and in particular that children and young people are suitably protected. If new evidence emerges that clearly highlights major problems with the existing Codes, then the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has a duty to revisit the Codes and take appropriate action.Furthermore, the government continues to work with the Portman Group, the social responsibility body and regulator for alcohol labelling, packaging, and promotion in the UK. It operates its Codes of Practice to ensure that alcohol is marketed in a socially responsible way, only to those aged 18 and over, and in a way that does not appeal particularly to those who are vulnerable. The Codes are widely supported by the industry, with over 150 signatories including producers, importers, wholesalers, retailers, and trade associations.

Alcoholic Drinks: Marketing

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Institute of Alcohol Studies reportAlcohol marketing during the 2020 Six Nations Championship: A frequency analysis,published in September, what plans they have to protect children and vulnerable populations from exposure to alcohol marketing (1) during sporting events, (2) on television and online, and (3) in public spaces.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The UK advertising industry has some of the strictest alcohol regulations in the world. The Advertising Standards Authority uses its codes of practice for advertising to stipulate that alcohol must not be directed at people under 18 or contain anything likely to appeal to them by reflecting youth culture.Anybody cast for an advertisement for alcohol must be, and look, 25 years of age or over. Consumption of alcohol must not be linked to increased popularity, sexual success, confidence, sporting achievements or mental performance. Anything which portrays drinking alcohol as a competitive challenge or as having therapeutic qualities is banned, as is anything that promotes binge drinking or suggests that alcohol can solve one’s problems.If new evidence emerges that clearly highlights major problems with the existing Codes, then the Advertising Standards Authority has a duty to revisit the Codes and take appropriate action.